Verizon Communications Inc. $VZ Shares Bought by Alps Advisors Inc.

Alps Advisors Inc. lifted its position in shares of Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE:VZ) by 8.8% during the third quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 762,083 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock after purchasing an additional 61,941 shares during the quarter. Alps Advisors Inc.’s holdings in Verizon Communications were worth $33,494,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in VZ. Arkfeld Wealth Strategies L.L.C. boosted its holdings in Verizon Communications by 9.2% during the third quarter. Arkfeld Wealth Strategies L.L.C. now owns 14,919 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock worth $652,000 after buying an additional 1,261 shares in the last quarter. Moloney Securities Asset Management LLC raised its position in shares of Verizon Communications by 9.5% in the third quarter. Moloney Securities Asset Management LLC now owns 67,399 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock worth $2,962,000 after acquiring an additional 5,823 shares during the period. Canada Post Corp Registered Pension Plan raised its position in shares of Verizon Communications by 66.4% in the third quarter. Canada Post Corp Registered Pension Plan now owns 110,896 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock worth $4,796,000 after acquiring an additional 44,241 shares during the period. Renasant Bank purchased a new stake in shares of Verizon Communications during the 3rd quarter worth about $275,000. Finally, Appleton Partners Inc. MA grew its position in shares of Verizon Communications by 13.8% during the 3rd quarter. Appleton Partners Inc. MA now owns 10,549 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock valued at $464,000 after acquiring an additional 1,281 shares during the period. 62.06% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Key Verizon Communications News

Here are the key news stories impacting Verizon Communications this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Multiple analyst upgrades and bullish notes lifted momentum and helped extend the rally, with coverage citing higher target prices and “buy”/outperform views that attracted short‑term buyers. Verizon Communications (NYSE:VZ) Stock Price Up 1.6% After Analyst Upgrade
• Positive Sentiment: Income investors are re‑rating Verizon because it appears on multiple recent lists of high‑yield dividend picks, supporting steady demand from dividend/seeking portfolios. 3 High-Yield Dividend Stocks Perfect For Retirees
• Neutral Sentiment: Zacks highlighted VZ as a top‑ranked momentum stock under its style scores — this can draw quant/momentum flows but doesn’t guarantee fundamental change. Verizon Communications (VZ) is a Top-Ranked Momentum Stock: Should You Buy?
• Neutral Sentiment: Coverage of AST SpaceMobile and its 2026 launch targets (a partner/adjacent play for telecoms) is being watched for potential upside exposure, but execution risks keep this as an uncertain catalyst. Can SpaceX Rival AST SpaceMobile Meet Its 2026 Launch Targets? (VZ)
• Negative Sentiment: Verizon’s consumer‑unit CEO Sowmyanarayan Sampath is stepping down amid a companywide turnaround under new CEO Dan Schulman — management turnover raises near‑term execution and strategy questions for the core wireless business. Verizon’s Consumer Unit CEO Sowmyanarayan Sampath to Step Down
• Negative Sentiment: Verizon filed suit accusing T‑Mobile of false advertising — the legal fight could be a distraction and pose litigation costs, though it may also be intended to blunt competitive messaging. Verizon Wireless sues T-Mobile, alleges false advertising

Verizon Communications Stock Performance

Shares of Verizon Communications stock opened at $46.32 on Friday. The business’s 50 day moving average price is $40.87 and its 200 day moving average price is $41.74. The company has a market cap of $195.30 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.44, a PEG ratio of 1.95 and a beta of 0.33. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.32, a quick ratio of 0.87 and a current ratio of 0.91. Verizon Communications Inc. has a one year low of $38.39 and a one year high of $47.58.

Verizon Communications (NYSE:VZ) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Friday, January 30th. The cell phone carrier reported $1.09 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.06 by $0.03. The business had revenue of $36.38 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $36.20 billion. Verizon Communications had a return on equity of 19.03% and a net margin of 12.43%.The company’s quarterly revenue was up 2.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $1.10 EPS. Verizon Communications has set its FY 2026 guidance at 4.900-4.950 EPS. On average, research analysts predict that Verizon Communications Inc. will post 4.69 EPS for the current year.

Verizon Communications Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 1st. Stockholders of record on Friday, April 10th will be paid a $0.7075 dividend. This is a positive change from Verizon Communications’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.69. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, April 10th. This represents a $2.83 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 6.1%. Verizon Communications’s dividend payout ratio is currently 68.15%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts recently weighed in on VZ shares. Barclays initiated coverage on Verizon Communications in a report on Thursday, January 22nd. They issued an “equal weight” rating and a $43.00 price target for the company. Morgan Stanley upped their target price on Verizon Communications from $47.00 to $49.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Monday, February 2nd. Evercore increased their target price on Verizon Communications from $48.00 to $50.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Monday, February 2nd. William Blair raised shares of Verizon Communications to an “outperform” rating in a report on Monday, February 2nd. Finally, BNP Paribas Exane downgraded shares of Verizon Communications from an “outperform” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $44.00 price objective on the stock. in a report on Tuesday, October 21st. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eight have given a Buy rating and eleven have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Verizon Communications currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $49.02.

Insider Activity

In other news, EVP Joseph J. Russo sold 9,579 shares of Verizon Communications stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $44.88, for a total transaction of $429,905.52. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 44,045 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,976,739.60. The trade was a 17.86% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. 0.10% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

About Verizon Communications

Verizon Communications Inc (NYSE: VZ) is a major U.S.-based telecommunications company that provides a broad range of communications and information services. Its operations span consumer and business markets, with core offerings that include wireless voice and data services, fixed-line broadband and fiber-optic services, and enterprise networking solutions. Verizon is headquartered in New York City and operates a nationwide wireless network that supports consumer subscribers as well as business and government customers.

The company’s consumer products include mobile phone plans, unlimited data services, and Fios, its branded fiber-optic internet, television and voice service for homes and small businesses.